1Ki 16:6-34 - Commentary

Commentary

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Text -- 1 Kings 16:6-34 (NET)

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Context

16:6 Baasha passed away and was buried in Tirzah. His son Elah replaced him as king. 16:7 The prophet Jehu son of Hanani received from the Lord the message predicting the downfall of Baasha and his family because of all the evil Baasha had done in the sight of the Lord. His actions angered the Lord (including the way he had destroyed Jeroboam’s dynasty), so that his family ended up like Jeroboam’s.

Elah’s Reign over Israel

16:8 In the twenty-sixth year of King Asa’s reign over Judah, Baasha’s son Elah became king over Israel; he ruled in Tirzah for two years. 16:9 His servant Zimri, a commander of half of his chariot force, conspired against him. While Elah was drinking heavily at the house of Arza, who supervised the palace in Tirzah, 16:10 Zimri came in and struck him dead. (This happened in the twenty-seventh year of Asa’s reign over Judah.) Zimri replaced Elah as king. 16:11 When he became king and occupied the throne, he killed Baasha’s entire family. He did not spare any male belonging to him; he killed his relatives and his friends. 16:12 Zimri destroyed Baasha’s entire family, just as the Lord had predicted to Baasha through Jehu the prophet. 16:13 This happened because of all the sins which Baasha and his son Elah committed and which they made Israel commit. They angered the Lord God of Israel with their worthless idols. 16:14 The rest of the events of Elah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.

Zimri’s Reign over Israel

16:15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Zimri became king over Israel; he ruled for seven days in Tirzah. Zimri’s revolt took place while the army was deployed in Gibbethon, which was in Philistine territory. 16:16 While deployed there, the army received this report: “Zimri has conspired against the king and assassinated him.” So all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that very day in the camp. 16:17 Omri and all Israel went up from Gibbethon and besieged Tirzah. 16:18 When Zimri saw that the city was captured, he went into the fortified area of the royal palace. He set the palace on fire and died in the flames. 16:19 This happened because of the sins he committed. He did evil in the sight of the Lord and followed in Jeroboam’s footsteps and encouraged Israel to continue sinning. 16:20 The rest of the events of Zimri’s reign, including the details of his revolt, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.

Omri’s Reign over Israel

16:21 At that time the people of Israel were divided in their loyalties. Half the people supported Tibni son of Ginath and wanted to make him king; the other half supported Omri. 16:22 Omri’s supporters were stronger than those who supported Tibni son of Ginath. Tibni died; Omri became king. 16:23 In the thirty-first year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Omri became king over Israel. He ruled for twelve years, six of them in Tirzah. 16:24 He purchased the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver. He launched a construction project there and named the city he built after Shemer, the former owner of the hill of Samaria. 16:25 Omri did more evil in the sight of the Lord than all who were before him. 16:26 He followed in the footsteps of Jeroboam son of Nebat and encouraged Israel to sin; they angered the Lord God of Israel with their worthless idols. 16:27 The rest of the events of Omri’s reign, including his accomplishments and successes, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 16:28 Omri passed away and was buried in Samaria. His son Ahab replaced him as king.

Ahab Promotes Idolatry

16:29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Omri’s son Ahab became king over Israel. Ahab son of Omri ruled over Israel for twenty-two years in Samaria. 16:30 Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the sight of the Lord than all who were before him. 16:31 As if following in the sinful footsteps of Jeroboam son of Nebat were not bad enough, he married Jezebel the daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians. Then he worshiped and bowed to Baal. 16:32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal he had built in Samaria. 16:33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole; he did more to anger the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him. 16:34 During Ahab’s reign, Hiel the Bethelite rebuilt Jericho. Abiram, his firstborn son, died when he laid the foundation; Segub, his youngest son, died when he erected its gates, just as the Lord had warned through Joshua son of Nun.

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Cross Reference (TSK)

ITL

Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics

Names, People and Places:

· Abiram son of Eliab (Reuben); a rebel against Moses,son of Hiel, who died when his father began rebuilding Jericho

· Ahab son and successor of Omri, king of Israel,son of Kolaiah; a false prophet in the time of King Zedekiah

· Arza head of King Ela's household in Tirzah, Israel

· Asa a son of Abijah; the father of Jehoshaphat; an ancestor of Jesus.,son of Abijam and king of Judah,son of Elkanah; a Levite whose descendants returned from exile

· Baal a pagan god,a title of a pagan god,a town in the Negeb on the border of Simeon and Judah,son of Reaiah son of Micah; a descendant of Reuben,the forth son of Jeiel, the Benjamite

· Baasha the third king of Israel

· Bethel a town of Benjamin bordering Ephraim 18 km north of Jerusalem

· Elah a chief of Edom,the valley where David killed Goliath,son and successor of Baasha, king of Israel (about 900 BC),father of Hoshea, the last king of Israel about 700 BC,son of Caleb the son of Jephunneh of Judah,son of Uzzi (Michri Benjamin) who led his clan back from exile

· Ethbaal king of the Sidonians; father of Jezebel

· Gibbethon a Philistine town in Dan, given to the Kohathite (OS)

· Ginath father of Tibni, a man who tried to become king of Israel

· Hanani son of Heman the Levite; worship leader under Heman and David,a prophet in the time of Asa King of Judah; father of Jehu,a priest of the Immer clan who put away his heathen wife,a man related to Nehemiah who was an administrator in Jerusalem; brother of Nehemiah,a Levite musician who helped Zechariah dedicate Nehemiah's wall

· Hiel a man from Bethel who rebuilt Jericho

· Israel a citizen of Israel.,a member of the nation of Israel

· Jehu son of Hanani who prophesied against King Baasha of Israel,son of Nimshi who killed King Joram and took his place as king of Israel,son of Obed of Judah,son of Joshibiah; head of a large influential family of Simeon in King Hezekiah's time,a man of Anathoth; one of the Benjamites who defected to David at Ziklag

· Jericho a town five miles west of the Jordan and 15 miles northeast of Jerusalem,a town of Benjamin 11 km NW of the mouth of the Jordan River

· Jeroboam son of Nebat; first king of Israel after it split away from Judah; Jeroboam I,son and successor of Joash/Jehoash, King of Israel; Jeroboam II

· Jezebel the wife of King Ahab of Israel,wife of Ahab and mother of Jehoram, kings of Israel; daughter of Ethbaal, the king of the Sidonians

· Joshua a son of Eliezer; the father of Er; an ancestor of Jesus,the son of Nun and successor of Moses,son of Nun of Ephraim; successor to Moses,a man: owner of the field where the ark stopped,governor of Jerusalem under King Josiah,son of Jehozadak; high priest in the time of Zerubbabel

· Judah the son of Jacob and Leah; founder of the tribe of Judah,a tribe, the land/country,a son of Joseph; the father of Simeon; an ancestor of Jesus,son of Jacob/Israel and Leah; founder of the tribe of Judah,the tribe of Judah,citizens of the southern kingdom of Judah,citizens of the Persian Province of Judah; the Jews who had returned from Babylonian exile,"house of Judah", a phrase which highlights the political leadership of the tribe of Judah,"king of Judah", a phrase which relates to the southern kingdom of Judah,"kings of Judah", a phrase relating to the southern kingdom of Judah,"princes of Judah", a phrase relating to the kingdom of Judah,the territory allocated to the tribe of Judah, and also the extended territory of the southern kingdom of Judah,the Province of Judah under Persian rule,"hill country of Judah", the relatively cool and green central highlands of the territory of Judah,"the cities of Judah",the language of the Jews; Hebrew,head of a family of Levites who returned from Exile,a Levite who put away his heathen wife,a man who was second in command of Jerusalem; son of Hassenuah of Benjamin,a Levite in charge of the songs of thanksgiving in Nehemiah's time,a leader who helped dedicate Nehemiah's wall,a Levite musician who helped Zechariah of Asaph dedicate Nehemiah's wall

· Nebat a man of Ephraim; father of king Jeroboam

· Nun son of Elishama; father of Joshua (Ephraim), Moses' aide

· Omri the next king of Israel after Zimri committed suicide,son of Becher son of Benjamin,son of Imri of Judah,son of Michael; David's chief officer over Issachar

· Philistines a sea people coming from Crete in 1200BC to the coast of Canaan

· Samaria residents of the district of Samaria

· Segub the youngest son of Hiel who rebuilt Jericho,son of Hezron of Judah and grandson of Machir son of Manasseh

· Shemer the man from whom King Omri bought the hill of Samaria,son of Mahli, great grandson of Merari son of Levi,son of Heber of Asher

· Tibni son of Ginath; he tried to succeed Zimri but lost to Omri

· Tirzah daughter of Zelophehad,a town of Manasseh 10 km NE of Shechem

· Zimri son of Salu (Simeon); a chief Phinehas slew for his rebellion,the man who assassinated and succeded Elah, King of Israel,son of Zerah son of Judah,son of Jehoaddah of Benjamin,a land and its people

Table of Contents

Verse Notes / Footnotes NET Notes

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Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:6 Heb “lay down with his fathers.”

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:7 Heb “angering him by the work of his hands, so that he was like the house of Jeroboam, and because of how he struck it down.”

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:9 Heb “while he was drinking and drunken.”

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:10 Heb “and he became king in his place.”

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:11 Heb “and he did not spare any belonging to him who urinate against a wall, [including] his kinsmen redeemers and his friends.”

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:12 Heb “according to the word of the Lord which he spoke concerning [or “spoke against”]).”

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:13 Heb “angering the Lord God of Israel with their empty things.”

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:14 Heb “As for the rest of the events of Elah, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of I...

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:15 Heb “Now the people were encamped.

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:16 Heb “has conspired against and also has struck down the king.”

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:18 Heb “and he burned the house of the king over him with fire and he died.”

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:19 Heb “walking in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he did to make Israel sin.”

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:20 Heb “As for the rest of the events of Zimri, and his conspiracy which he conspired, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days...

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:24 Heb “he built up the hill.”

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:25 Heb “in the eyes of.”

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:26 Heb “angering the Lord God of Israel with their empty things.”

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:27 Heb “As for the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and his strength which he demonstrated, are they not written on the scroll of the events ...

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:28 The Old Greek has eight additional verses here. Cf. 1 Kgs 22:41-44.

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:29 For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:30 Heb “in the eyes of.”

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:31 The Canaanites worshiped Baal as a storm and fertility god.

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:33 Heb “Ahab”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

NET Notes: 1Ki 16:34 Warned through Joshua son of Nun. For the background to this statement, see Josh 6:26, where Joshua pronounces a curse on the one who dares to rebuild...

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